Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-05-16
A Bridge Of Monkeys.

| Monkeys would rather 90 into fire than
water. If they cannot leap a stream,
they will bridge it.
| The half human voices now sounded
nearer. and we could perceive that the
animals were approaching the spot where
we lay. Presently. they appeared upon
the opposite bank, headed by an old, gray
chieftan. and differed like so many SOL
diers. They were of the conadreja, or
ring-tailed tribe.
One ran out upon projecting rock,
and, alter looking across the stream, as
if calculating the distance, scampered
back. and appeared to communicate with
the leader. This produced movement
I in the troop. Commands were issued,
and parties were detailed and marched to
the front. Meanwhile, several of the
comadrejas no doubt-ran
along the banks examining the trees on
both sides.
At length they all collected around a
tall cottonwood that grew over the mar
rowest part of the stream; and twenty or
thirty of them scampered up its trunk.
On reaching high point, the foremost, a
strong fellow, ran out upon a limb, and,
taking several turns of his tai around it,
slipped off. and hung, head downwards.
The next on the limb. also stout one.
climbed down the body of the first and.
whipping his tail around the neck and
forearm of the latter, dropped off in his
| turn. and hung head down. The third re-
peated the manGuvre upon the ground.
The living chain now commenced swing
ing backward and forward. like the pen
dulum of clock. The motion was slight
at first, but gradually increased. the lower
monkey striking his hands violently on
the earth as he passed the tangent of the
oscillating curve. Several others upon
the limbs above aided the movement.
This confined until the monkey at the
end of the chain was thrown among the
branches OF tree on the opposite bank.
Here. after two or three vibrations, he
clutched alimb land held fast. This move
ment was executed adroitly, just at the
eliminating point of the oscillation, in
order to save the intermediate links from
the violence of too sudden jerk.
The chain was now fast at both ends,
forming a complete suspension bridge,
over which the whole troop, to the mum
Der of four or five hundred. passed with
the rapidity of thought.
1
ever beheld to witness the quzzical ex
preston of the countenanccs along that
living chain.
The troop was now on the other side
but how were the animals forming the
bridge to get themselves overP This was
the question which suggested itself. Mani
testify. by number one letting 60 his tails
But then, the point a'appm on the other
side was much lower down; and number
one, with half dozen of his neighbors,
would be dashed against the opposite
| bank or soused into the water.
| Here, then, was problem; and we
waited with some curiosity for its solution
1t was soon solved. A monkey was nov
seen attaching his tail to the lowest on the
bridge, another girded him in similar
manner, and another, and so on, until a
dozen more were added to the string.
These last were all powerful fellows; and
running up high limb, they lifted the
bridge into position almost horizontal.
Then scream from the last monkey oil
the new formation warned the tail end
that all was ready; and the next moment
the whole chain was swung over, and
landed safely on the opposite bank. The
lowermost links now dropped off like q
melting candle, while the higher ones
leaped on the branches and came down BY
the trunk. The whole troop then scamp.
cred OF into the chaparral and disappeared.